Cutting-block



Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

$3313 his ANSEL C. DENNING, F JOHNSON QITY, NEW YORK.

CUTTING-BLQCK.

Application .filed July 3,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ANSEL C. DENNING, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Johnson City, New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutting-Blocks, of whichthe following is a clear, full,and exact description. I

' This invention relates to cutting'blocks for use with sharp-edgedknives or dies, as, for

example, in the cutting of the sole, heel, and

' upper blanks of shoes in the process of shoe- -making and for similarblank cutting work. Prior to my invention, cutting blocks for theaforementioned uses have been made alunsuccessful attempts have beenmadelto' 'substitute,other known materials, to devise substitute"compositions of material and) I even so to modify the cutting processand init the use of other with the the cutting means and machines as toper-- materials. Wooden cutblocks, usually formed from sections'of sugarmaple or other wood having similar characteristics, with the grain on,end, are ,quite satisfactory inuse when'the cutting surface is freshlydressed, so that it lies 1in one plane, the arrangement of the sectionsgrain onend being particularly advantageous in that the edge oredges ofthe cutting knife or die may enter between the fibers ofthe wood andeffect a substantially shearing out of the material. Continued use ofthe wooden cutting blocks, however, resultsfin the cutting and breakingof the fibers, due] to the fact that the edgeof the knife or die doesnot always enter the block exactly in the direction of the grain of thewood, thus cutting across the grain and severing portions of the fibers.After a time the wooden block becomes hollowed out in the regionwherethe principal cutting has taken place, the surface becomes uneven andrough, and the block must be redressed to restore its surface beforesatisfactory cuttin canbe effected upon it.

ecause of the scarcity and increasing cost of the most desirable woodsfor cutting blocks and thenecessity for frequent redressin of'thesebl0cks,a somewhat tedi- -ous an expensive operation since it involvesplaning across t e grain,a cutting block material has long been song htwhich would furnish a satisfaeto cuttmg surface, that is,one into whicht e cutting edge ofthe knife or die could readilybe forced a suflicientdistance to insure a clean cutting of the Specification of Letters Patemost exclusively of wood, although numerous machines l body ofthenuttin'g block is made Patented Dem-1 3, 1921 1920. Serial No.393,936.

blank but which would nevertheless'resist better than wood the tendencyof the 'knife or dle to cut out sections of the material of the block.The provision of a cutting block? having its cutting material is thegeneral object of the presentinvention. Moreover, the invention aims torovide acutting block having its cutting edy formed for the most part ofwaste products and which, by reason of its rela tivelylow original costand by reason of its greater durability and its less frequent need ofresurfacing, will be relatively more economical than wood,

Cutting blocks having the cutting body lcomp'ositlon hereinafterdescribed and of the .iconstruction shown and described havesubstant1ally-met the requirements above enu- "merated and have nowgoneinto extensive tingjijblocks employed with beam presses,dlnklngmachines and other blank 1, 1n the accompanying drawing, acutting block embodying the invention is illustrated; I have foundasuitable ,composition of mate- 60 body composed of such a cutting usedin the manufacture of shoes.

rial for the sections from which thenutting \stituted by equal parts of,rags, preferably cotton rags, 'andtannery waste, preferably chromeleather trimmings. In the formation of the sections,

"to'be con- I a mixture of substan-' tially equal arts of the cotton ras and the chrome leat er trimmings is pu ped in a beatin' engine and isthen run into the form of a sleet on the regular cylinder wet ma- Ichineused in pa r making. After the board or sheet is 't us formed, itis cutinto sections'2 having the cross-sectional dimens'ions of the cuttingblock, as shown in the eecompanying drawings. These sections are thenglued together the desired len the block is sub ected to very heavypressure on its ends.

until a block body of To insure support of thesectionsagainst verticalthrust when the block is reversed after one of'its surfaces has becomemore or less hollowed from use, thefsideedges ofthe sections 2 areprovided with grooves which th is obtained after which '7 receive ironstraps 4; l fitti into said I grooves, these straps having1 ued threadedends 6 passing throng "cross-pieces '8 Y which are held in position or;the reduced ends e of the straps 4 by nuts 10." Thefblock is preferablyprovided with wooden ends 12.

15 use,- par;tioularlyin-place of the wooden out which serve as elasticabutments against which the cross-pieces 8 force bearing pieces orclamps 1% when the nuts are screwed tightly against the cross-pieces 8.i

It will be noted that the main body of each strap 4 preferably stopsshort of the ends of the block, or at least slightly behind thecrossieces 8, so as to permit a slight s ring ing 0 the cross-pieces 8to insure a c amping of the binding irons upon and about the block.

It will be understood that the sections 2 of the block may be formedfrom sheets of any suitable thickness, I have found that a verysatisfactory cutting body of material of this composition can be formedfrom sheets of approximately one-eighth of an inch in thickness or ofslightly more than this thickness. It will be understood, however, thatthe thickness of the sheets from which the block sections are cut mayvary considerably within practical limits.

A block of the foregoing composition and construction has the advantageover wooden blocks that it offers considerably greater re sistance tothe penetration of the cutting edge of the knife or die beyond the depthnecessary to insure a clean out while permitting readily sui'iicientpenetration to in. sure such a clean cut, thus avoiding the ra idwearing away of the surface which ta res place with wooden blocks.Moreover, by reason of the absence of any definite grain, the block doesnot permit the tipping of the die which sometimes takes place withwooden blocks, owing to uneven resistance of the block to penetration bythe cutting edge of the die at different points along this edge or atdifferent points on the surface of the block. Such tipping of the dieswith wooden blocks is'one of the causes of the rapid wearing away of theblocks, since the dies then tend to out across the grain of the block,

By reason of the more homogeneous charactor of the composition of theblock of this invention and the fact that it permits clean cuttingwithout substantial penetration, the wearing away of the surface is moreeven and uniform than with the wooden blocks of the prior art, and thusby reason both of the character of the wearing away and of the fact thatthis wearing away takes place more slowly, resurfacing of the block isrequired only at very infrequent intervals. whereby the upkeep cost ofthe blocks is materially less than that of wooden blocks.

nuances face to face with their edges exposed to form the cuttingsurfaces of the block, said sections being composed of a 1pulped mixtureof cotton rags and chrome eather trimmings.

4, A cutting block having its cutting body-- formed of a series of sheetsections placed face to face and united with glue under pressure, theexposed edges of said sections forming the cutting surfaces of theblock, and said sections being composed of a pulped mixture of cellulosefiber and leather.

5. A-cutting block having its cutting body formed of a series of sheetsections each extending throughout the transverse dimensions of theblocks and all permanently secured together face to face, said sectionsbeing composed of a pulped mixture of cotton rags and chrome leathertrimmings.

6. A cutting block having its cutting body formed of relatively thinsheets of a composiiion of cotton and leather, each sheet extendingthroughout the transverse dimensions of the block and the successivesheets being arranged face to face and glued together, whereby exposededges of the sheets form the cutting. surfaces of the blocks.

7. A cutting block having its cutting body formed of relatively thinsheets of a composition of cotton and leather, each sheet extendingthroughout the transverse dimensions of the block and the successivesheets being arranged face to face and glued together, whereby exposededges ofthe sheets form the cutting surfaces of the block, binding ironsrecessed into the sides of said block, and means connecting said ironsat their ends arranged to exert a block compressing pressure lengthwiseof said block.

Signed at Johnson City, N. Y., this 29th day of June, 1920.

ANSEL o. DENNING.

Witnesses:

' N. D, Ives,

A. W. Groves.

